Meanwhile, as dusk fully settled, Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his aching temples and let out a heavy sigh. However, the gloomy expression lingering on his old face wasn't so easy to shake off.
He had wanted Shinnosuke to have a peaceful final journey today. But who would have thought that Uchiha Akainu would suddenly appear out of nowhere? Hiruzen felt incredibly conflicted about Akainu's actions today.
From an official standpoint, he should support Akainu in upholding justice. After all, Yamada Toshijiro's actions had utterly violated the Land of Fire's laws. Even if Akainu's methods were extreme, directly having his subordinate kill the man... Hiruzen still felt that Akainu hadn't done anything wrong.
But, on a personal level, he was Sarutobi Shinnosuke's father. For a father, such a deeply jarring incident at his eldest son's funeral was a huge provocation and source of pain. Not to mention, it was Akainu who had killed Shinnosuke!
"Hmph..."
Hiruzen murmured, "But Konoha can't afford an unprepared civil war. The pillars of the village are dwindling... Akainu, he's one of the few young shinobi capable of shouldering that responsibility."
"Even if an Uchiha can't become Hokage, in the future, he could replace Danzo, or Homura, or Koharu."
This kind of single-minded, conflicting dilemma made even him unsure of his own emotions.
Hiruzen shook off his grim mood, preparing to leave the Hokage's office. Just then, an Anbu ninja suddenly leaped in through the open window. He knelt before Hiruzen and quickly reported, "Lord Hokage, Uchiha Akainu killed his only living blood relative, 'Uchiha Onigawara,' today."
Hiruzen's steps faltered. "Uchiha Onigawara... is that the one suspected of brutally murdering two Anbu comrades during a mission outside the village?" Hiruzen was familiar with the name Uchiha Onigawara because he had once been an Anbu member. It was also Hiruzen who had ordered Onigawara's temporary suspension for investigation.
"Yes," the Anbu ninja nodded.
Hiruzen mumbled, "Since Akainu killed him, that means I didn't misjudge him." He suddenly thought of something and asked directly, "Was Uchiha Onigawara Akainu's only living blood relative?"
"Yes." The Anbu's answer was the same as before, though with a subtly undetectable tremor in his voice. Clearly, Akainu's actions had shocked even the battle-hardened Anbu ninja.
Hiruzen fell silent as well. "Unforgiving 'Absolute Justice,' huh..." It was unclear how long he remained silent before he finally uttered those words with a complex expression. Hiruzen vaguely understood what Uchiha Akainu's "Absolute Justice" truly entailed.
"Hmph..."
"Akainu, it's precisely because you're so exceptional, and so truly committed to justice, that I can't let the hatred from Shinnosuke's incident turn you into my enemy..."
"Hmph! Just as I thought, he's a naturally evil Uchiha brat! Someone who won't even spare his own blood relatives is nothing but an emotionless killing machine. The evil blood flowing through the Uchiha clan shouldn't even exist in this world!"
Elsewhere, Danzo had also received word from his Root ninja. "The Uchiha eyes conceal an evil power unimaginable to ordinary people. This power requires immense emotional stimulation to have a chance of being activated."
Danzo's eyes narrowed, his gaze flickering with suspicion and danger. He was interpreting Uchiha Akainu's actions in the most malicious light possible. He suddenly thought of Uchiha Shisui. Shisui's eyes possessed what was rumored to be the most evil power of the Uchiha clan. It was precisely because Uchiha Shisui was "guilty by possession," and his "guilt" was so great that the entire Konoha leadership feared him, that Danzo couldn't resist attempting to assassinate him and seize his Mangekyo Sharingan!
Now... Danzo began to suspect if Uchiha Akainu had awakened a Mangekyo Sharingan similar to Shisui's. Did he also possess that kind of terrifying, evil power? Feeling the occasional slight sting in his left ear, Danzo's apprehension turned into rising fury. He gnashed his teeth and whispered, "Monkey, if you hadn't stopped me that day, I would have already crushed this evil Uchiha brat, who threatens the village, in his cradle!"
His anger wasn't just directed at Akainu; it also extended to Hiruzen Sarutobi. Even though Danzo knew that the probability of Akainu awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan wasn't very high—otherwise, he wouldn't have had to wait so many years to find only one Uchiha Shisui. But once this suspicion surfaced in his mind, he couldn't suppress it. It spread like weeds, taking root and growing within Danzo's mind, making his expression fluctuate between dark and uncertain.
"Uchiha Akainu..."
"Sharingan..."
"Today's the second time I've killed someone!" Izumi submerged herself entirely in the bathtub, her hair floating on the steaming water. Only a small part of her head was visible, and her mumbled words sounded like "gurgle, gurgle."
The first time she killed, Izumi remembered it clearly; she was anxious all night. Even after returning home, she worried she'd be captured by the Anbu. Now, she felt somewhat used to it. She realized she no longer felt any apprehension; in fact, the discomfort of killing had long since vanished.
"And..." She lightly clutched her chest, her head emerging from the water as she murmured to herself in confusion, "Why do I feel a sense of secret joy? I'm not some crazy killer; it can't be because I killed someone that this strange feeling popped up, right?"
Izumi stood up, stepped out of the bathtub, and after lightly rinsing off the soap, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind. She suddenly understood.
"—It's approval!"
She realized that the reason she felt secret joy was because she discovered that within the Uchiha clan, there were now people other than herself who approved of Senior Akainu's Absolute Justice! And there were quite a few of them! After all, on her way home after saying goodbye to Senior Akainu today, she had heard many people discussing him. And it wasn't negative discussion! Even if their admiration was just a strange reverence for his extreme methods, born from a desire for strength.
But... at least it was a good start.
"Father, I want to meet Uchiha Akainu." At the dinner table, Uchiha Itachi said with a serious expression to Fugaku.